When Lewis Carroll first wrote “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” he probably didn’t imagine that his tale of talking rabbits, shifting realities, and upside-down logic would inspire a psychological term. Yet today, the “Alice in Wonderland Technique” has become shorthand for a powerful method of influence, one that thrives on confusion, contradiction, and disorientation. It is a technique used in propaganda, advertising, social media, and even entertainment to make people more open to suggestion once their logical anchors have been loosened.
Origins of the Alice in Wonderland Technique
The Alice in Wonderland Technique has a strange but fascinating history, rooted in both behavioural science and psychological warfare. During the Cold War, the CIA explored “confusion methods” as part of its mind-control research under the infamous MKULTRA program, now partly revealed through declassified documents. The idea was deceptively simple: overwhelm subjects with contradictions, hot then cold, praise then ridicule, up then down, until their ability to think clearly was disrupted. In that state of disorientation, people became more open to influence.
The method was formalised in the CIA’s KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual, which describes deliberately dismantling a person’s expectations and sense of stability to make them more suggestible (Wikisource – KUBARK). When the familiar is stripped away, the mind instinctively seeks solid ground. Confusion creates a craving for order, and when an explicit instruction finally appears, it feels like a sense of relief. That moment of clarity is precisely where influence takes root.
In psychological terms, this plays on cognitive dissonance. When our brains encounter two or more conflicting realities, they struggle to reconcile them. In that confusion, people are more likely to latch onto whatever authority or message offers clarity, even if it’s only partial.
The idea has also been dramatised in popular culture. Illusionist Derren Brown, for example, has demonstrated similar principles in his “sleep in the phone booth” experiments, where rapid shifts in contradictory suggestions made participants more susceptible to suggestion. Although presented as entertainment, it highlights how easily confusion can lead to compliance.
The idea also appears in hypnotherapy. Milton Erickson, one of the pioneers of modern hypnotherapy, demonstrated how carefully applied confusion and double meanings could help bypass the conscious mind and communicate directly with the subconscious. L. Ron Hubbard similarly used contradictory phrasing in early Scientology texts, though with far more manipulative intent (Coconote – Origins of the Technique)
The Alice in Wonderland Technique on Social Media
Today, the Alice in Wonderland Technique has found a new stage: the digital landscape. Influencers like Andrew Tate deliberately weave contradictions into their messaging, preaching discipline and self-reliance one moment, then flaunting indulgence and excess the next. This emotional whiplash keeps audiences hooked because the tension between opposites demands resolution.
Social media platforms themselves operate on the same principle. Instagram and TikTok algorithms feed users an unpredictable mix of uplifting, enraging, humorous, and confusing content. The result is a rollercoaster of highs and lows that keeps people scrolling, chasing a clarity that never quite arrives. Confusion isn’t a bug in the system; it is the system.
Studies back this up. A Yale analysis of 12.7 million tweets found that users who received more likes and shares for expressing moral outrage became increasingly likely to do so again, creating a cycle of reinforcement (Yale News). Other research shows anger spreads faster than joy online, particularly across diverse networks (ArXiv – Anger is More Influential Than Joy). The content most likely to go viral is not balanced reflection but material that destabilises, shocks, or provokes outrage.
This is the modern Alice in Wonderland effect: a feed designed to disorient through contradiction and emotional extremes, leaving users primed to seize on the following bold, simplified statement that promises relief.
Ethical Use of the Alice in Wonderland Technique
The question then becomes: must this Technique always be manipulative? The answer is a resounding no. The structure, which follows confusion with clarity, can be used responsibly when the goal is not control, but engagement and insight. This stress on the ethical potential of the Technique reassures us about its responsible use.
One ethical approach is to use playful paradoxes. A headline like “The fastest way to slow down your stress” surprises the reader, makes them pause, and then resolves with a meaningful explanation. Here, the contradiction serves as an invitation to curiosity, rather than a trap.
Another way is to acknowledge ambivalence. Life is rarely one-sided, and audiences resonate with honesty. Saying “Running a business is thrilling, and exhausting” uses contrast not to destabilise, but to validate lived experience.
Ethical use also depends on providing clarity quickly. Surprise without resolution leaves people disoriented; surprise followed by clear explanation leaves them intrigued and empowered. The intention must always be to guide, not to corner.
Finally, there is space for wonder and whimsy. The strange, the surreal, and the slightly nonsensical can all delight when presented transparently. Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland captivates not because it manipulates, but because it invites readers to imagine new possibilities. In the same way, brands, writers, and creators can draw inspiration from Wonderland to spark imagination while maintaining trust.
While this all may sound manipulative, and it often is, there are ethical ways to apply the Alice in Wonderland Technique in marketing and communications. Instead of exploiting confusion, brands can utilise controlled contrasts to capture attention and direct audiences toward meaningful outcomes.
For example:
- Storytelling through contrast: A wellness brand might juxtapose the chaos of modern stress with the calm of a mindful lifestyle, helping audiences feel the transformation that it offers.
- Breaking patterns: A campaign that surprises audiences with a playful twist (a sudden joke in a serious ad, or a dramatic visual shift) can spark attention without manipulation.
- Emotional range: Instead of sticking to one tone, campaigns that mix light and heavy, happy and sad, can feel more human and relatable, keeping people engaged authentically.
Here, the goal is not to trap audiences in confusion, but to use contrast as a tool for clarity, connection, and deeper resonance.
A Practical Framework
For businesses and creators wanting to apply this Technique responsibly, here’s a simple framework:
- Identify your contrasts: Choose two emotional or narrative states (e.g., chaos vs. calm, problem vs. solution) that matter to your audience.
- Design the journey: Structure your content to guide people through these states, for instance, by starting with the frustration of a problem and then revealing the relief that comes with your solution.
- Add the twist: Include one unexpected element, a surprising visual, a playful shift, or a thought-provoking contradiction, to disrupt autopilot scrolling.
- Guide toward clarity: Always resolve confusion by offering a clear and positive outcome. Ethical use means you don’t leave people lost; you lead them somewhere useful.
- Check your intent: Ask, “Does this empower my audience, or does it trap them?” If it’s the latter, rethink the approach.
Risks and Misuse
Used unethically, this Technique can backfire. Constantly confusing or overwhelming your audience may create attention in the short term, but it erodes trust over time. When people realise they’ve been manipulated, or worse, trapped in a cycle of endless contradiction with no resolution, they disengage or rebel against the brand. This is what distinguishes conscious, ethical communication from propaganda and predatory algorithms.
Moving Forward
The Alice in Wonderland Technique reminds us of an uncomfortable truth: our minds are highly suggestible when we’re confused. In the wrong hands, this becomes manipulation. But when applied with care, contrast and surprise can make stories more engaging, campaigns more memorable, and messages more human.
As marketers, creators, and communicators, the choice is ours. Do we use this Technique to disorient and exploit, or to illuminate and inspire?
If you’d like to explore how the Alice in Wonderland Technique can be applied ethically in your own marketing, storytelling, or campaigns, we’d love to help. At White Rabit, we specialise in creating strategies that use contrast, curiosity, and clarity to engage audiences without manipulation. > Book a meeting with White Rabit
References & Further Reading
- Marks, J. (1979). The Search for the “Manchurian Candidate”: The CIA and Mind Control. New York: Times Books.
- Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.
- Brown, D. (2007). Tricks of the Mind. Channel 4 Books.
- Hassan, R. (2020). The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World. Oxford University Press.
- Photo by Ksenia Yakovleva
